MLB Player News

Rooker is not in the Athletics' lineup Friday against the Guardians.

Rooker was the Opening Day designated hitter but struggled at the plate, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Switch hitter Abraham Toro will draw the start at DH on Friday against Guardians left-hander Logan Allen.

The Mets optioned Martinez to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.

Since Martinez didn't sign with the Mets until last week, he didn't have sufficient time to complete his hitting progression in spring training, so he'll be left off the 26-man active roster ahead of Friday's season opener versus the Brewers. The Mets haven't indicated if Martinez will immediately report to Syracuse for the start of its season Friday, or if he'll continue to see live at-bats at the Mets' spring training facility in Florida. Either way, Martinez will join the Mets and serve as their everyday designated hitter once he spends around 10 days in the minors compiling at-bats, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Morel went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored in Thursday's 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Rangers.

Morel had a good game but almost had a great game, as he narrowly missed a grand slam on a long foul ball in the top of the 10th inning with the contest tied 3-3. The 24-year-old batted cleanup, and he should have the opportunity to post strong numbers this season from the middle of Chicago's lineup, particularly in the power department.

Morel will serve as the Cubs' designated hitter and cleanup batter in Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers.

The Cubs gave Morel plenty of run at third base this spring in hopes that he would capture that job. While he still figures to be used plenty at the hot corner, it displays some lack of trust in Morel's defense on manager Craig Counsell's part that he's not playing the field Opening Day. Fantasy managers mostly care that he's just in the lineup, of course, and that he's hitting cleanup shows faith in his bat.

Pederson is out of the lineup Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Southpaw Kyle Freeland will start Thursday's game on the mound for Colorado, sending the lefty-hitting Pederson into the dugout. Blaze Alexander will serve as the Arizona's designated hitter, making his MLB debut while Pederson sits.

The Blue Jays selected Vogelbach's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.

Vogelbach managed to squeeze onto the roster even as the Jays have Justin Turner at designated hitter and Vladimir Guerrero at first base. His best chance at playing time would be if Turner winds up being used at third base more than expected, but realistically Vogelbach is looking at a bench role.

Ohtani (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani was spotted throwing in the outfield following a scheduled press conference Monday afternoon to address the formal investigation into the matter involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, where Ohtani denied knowledge of Mizuhara using his money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker and voiced his full cooperation with the investigation, per Sportsnet LA. "I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf," said Ohtani. "And I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple days ago, I didn't know this was happening." As for Ohtani's rehab from elbow surgery, the team previously indicated that he'd begin a throwing program upon returning to Los Angeles, and if all goes well, he could have an outside shot to play in the outfield or at first base later in the season.

The Yankees reassigned Torrens to minor-league camp Monday.

Torrens had a solid spring, but he was always destined for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start the season as long as the Yankees' catching corps was healthy. The 27-year-old has posted a .643 OPS over parts of six major-league seasons.

The Cubs optioned Canario to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Canario made a push for an Opening Day roster spot but ultimately came up short. The 23-year-old missed much of the 2023 season while recovering from multiple surgeries but did get a cup of coffee with the big club in September. He could be used at all three outfield spots at Iowa.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced Sunday that Vogelbach will be added to the major-league roster, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 31-year-old joined Toronto as a non-roster invitee in February and earned a roster spot by posting an .895 OPS during spring training. The Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero and Justin Turner locked in at first base and designated hitter, respectively, so Vogelbach will mainly serve as a power source off the bench.